Changing Colors
by Ash04123
Summary: Alfred is losing his will to get up in the morning and receives help from an unexpected Russian. [RusAme/One-shot]


Alfred gazed down at his cup of coffee and watched the steam rise in a dancing pattern. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold outside; it was perfect weather. Currently he was sitting down on a bench in front of a book store. The store wasn't open though, and it hadn't been for a few months after it closed due to no business, or something.

He just had to get out of the house for a few hours. His boss had been calling him nearly every single day, however today was one of those rare days that he got a break. He considered staying home and having a Netflix marathon to entertain himself, or even playing the new video games he didn't have a chance to take out of their packages yet. In the end though, his feet guided him outside to inhale something other than the smell of hundreds of documents and cologne on people trying to impress his boss.

Alfred gazed up from his coffee cup and glanced at the falling leaves in the distance. It was the beginning of Autumn and the wind and weather was already taking its toll on the trees. They still had plenty of colorful leaves on their branches, but they were beginning to fall and cover the ground like a blanket. Saying it was beautiful would have been an understatement, he decided. There was simply no way to describe the scene without having photographic evidence, and even then, it would be impossible to grab that moment.

He wasn't happy with his life lately. It was just the same daily routine over and over lately. Wake up, get ready, go to work, sign documents, and then back home to fall asleep and do it all over again the next day. It wasn't like he didn't like his boss or the people he talked to everyday either. They were all friendly and greeted him with smiles, and even made a joke every now and then, but it just wasn't enough to make him _happy_.

His bright aquatic eyes glanced over at a couple passing in front of him. They were giggling and playfully pushing each other. Alfred stared at them for a moment before dropping his gaze back down to his coffee cup.

The young American never felt this way before. Ever since he obtained independence every activity he did entertained him and made him beam with happiness. Even signing a few papers was a great experience. At the time he was so happy to be a new nation that he would devote all of his time doing work in order to build his way up. Eventually, he reached the top. He couldn't believe it himself, honestly. It was like he had this dream one day and the next day when he opened his eyes it had come true.

Alfred swallowed thickly and allowed his eyes to close. His orange and black patterned sweater made him feel itchy all over, but it was equally comfortable. This was the first time in months that he felt at peace. He could just close his eyes and...

He wasn't aware he had fallen asleep until a gentle hand was lightly shaking his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open as he tilted his head up to look at who awoke him. Amethyst eyes locked with his and he felt himself stop breathing for a few seconds.

"Now now Fredka, I know you can fall asleep in meetings, but outside on random benches too? You are lazier than I thought." An accented voice spoke as the figure in front of him continued to stare straight into his eyes.

_Russia?_

"Ivan, what are you doing here? Our bosses already agreed to-" Alfred started, but was cut off.

"I know. I wanted to stay here to enjoy your land for a little while longer. That is okay, da?" Ivan offered his usual much-too-sweet smile and Alfred felt his body shiver.

"Yeah dude," Alfred replied as he finally ripped his gaze away from the taller man. The Russian nation said nothing more as he took a seat next to America.

They sat in silence for a long while and it surprised Alfred how calm it felt. All the other nations liked to complain how extremely uncomfortable it was to be in the same room with Ivan, let alone sit next to him during world meetings. The young blond always thought they were just being drama queens. Sure, he didn't exactly prefer to sit next to the guy, but it wasn't like the end of the world was near when they did.

Ever since they entered the twenty first century their relationship has been... strange at best.

When Alfred left his thoughts he realized he had his eyes on Ivan. That wasn't the weirdest thing, no. What was astonishing was how the Russian man appeared next to him. He appeared... human.

Ivan's pale skin made him stick out in their colorful setting. Violet eyes focused on something Alfred could only guess was interesting enough to look at for so long. His platinum blond hair fell over his eyes just enough to be noticed. Ivan had on his usual scarf that he would never get caught dead without. Alfred was so mesmerized on how the other looked, that he didn't notice when those amethyst eyes started gazing back at him.

"Like what you see?" Ivan mused with a quirked brow.

Alfred's eyes widened when he finally registered that he was staring.

"Oh, sorry," was his lame response as he cleared his throat and returned his eyes to his coffee cup. The steam from earlier was long gone as his drink grew cold.

"You do not look well," Ivan replied with his own sight on Alfred. The American didn't respond. Not because he didn't want to converse, but because he didn't exactly feel well either. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." The response came without much thought.

"That is a lie."

"How do you know?" Alfred challenged. This didn't need to escalate anywhere, but this was Ivan after all. Their relationship wasn't exactly the best in the world. Not anymore, at least.

Ivan straightened up and scanned the American over for a few seconds. Afterwards he looked ahead. It was then that Alfred noticed the nation was no longer smiling.

"Your eyes are not shining with life like they usually are," Ivan began with a voice that sounded smooth and sincere. "The United States of America is a happy nation that is always going on about heroes and dreams and many silly things. He is constantly being annoying, but the good kind of annoying. The kind of annoying that I look forward to each day because it reminds me that we were all young at one point. We were not always these numb walking shells."

At this point Ivan was focused on the younger nation next to him. Amethyst eyes almost glittering and a voice that sounded so genuine that it would make anyone believe the words he was saying. Alfred listened with shock clear on his face.

"So when I see those eyes appearing lifeless, and you are not being annoying, I know something is wrong. You cannot fool me, Alfred. I know you better than anyone, even more than England. I have seen your true colors before when no one else has." Ivan had his eyes narrowed.

Alfred opened his mouth to say something, yet his voice failed him. It was like he had forgotten how to speak. Every thing he considered saying didn't seem right, and so he said nothing at all. The colorful world around him disappeared and was replaced with Ivan alone. How could he forget something like that? Hiding anything from Ivan was like hiding an elephant in a treeless park. Impossible.

"Now I am going to repeat myself, and you are going to answer me this time. What is wrong?" Ivan repeated the question and it was like Alfred learned how to speak again.

"How do you find the will to keep going as a nation?" He blurted out at an embarrassing pace. Ivan's eyebrows rose and Alfred assumed he said the question too fast, so he said it again much slower.

Ivan's eyebrows returned to their normal location as he cocked his head to the side. " Is that was this is about?"

Alfred nodded slowly, almost reluctantly.

Ivan suddenly looked a lot older. It was as if his nation age was steadily catching up to him and had pushed through his human appearance. He looked tired, no, exhausted. Alfred leaned closer expectantly.

"I wake up every morning because I know it's my duty," Ivan began.

"Your duty? That's it?" Alfred deflated as he spoke.

"Let me speak. You are so impatient." Ivan grunted and brought a finger up to Alfred's lips to hush him like a small child. "Do not interrupt. You are like little baby sometimes."

Alfred nodded slowly in comprehension.

Ivan pulled his hand away and nodded as well, "Good." He took a moment to collect his thoughts again before continuing, "Have you ever lost someone, Alfred? A human friend?"

Alfred tensed up as a barrage of memories came rushing back to him from many years before he was even an official independent nation. He clenched his fists and wet his lips with his tongue as the painful image of the boy he lost too quickly appeared in his head.

He couldn't find his voice anymore, and so he just nodded again. Ivan mimicked him as his own eyes drifted off to gaze at what Alfred assumed was a distant memory of his own.

"We lose people all the time in what seems like such a short time, don't you think? What a short hundred years is to us, is more than a lifetime to them. So then why make friends that are bound to die one day? Perhaps because it is part of life." Ivan paused to focus his eyes back on Alfred.

Alfred's face was scrunched up in confusion. "What does that have to do with what I asked?"

"Because when you lose a friend, you always end up making another, right? Sooner or later, you can't stop it. It just happens. You move on." Ivan brought his hands up and gently rested them on both of Alfred's shoulders. He squeezed the young American softly and smiled; not the smile he fooled everyone else with, but a genuine quirk of his mouth. His facade was down, and Alfred didn't know if he should be frightened, stunned, or interested. In the end, he felt all three.

"It's life, Fredka. You will have bad days, but good days will always be waiting for you too. There is always sunlight after a rainy day. Didn't you say that at a world meeting once? It appears to me you should learn to take your own advice." With that, the large Russian man had retreated his hands and was beginning to stand up from the bench.

"Just like we make new friends, we must make new ways to enjoy this journey we call life. There will always be a way." Ivan looked over his shoulder at the sitting young blond and smiled once more. In the next minute Ivan was gone, having walked away and out of sight.

Alfred had watched the man move away, expecting him to turn around once again and punch him in the arm like they had done so frequently. Ivan had been so serious and sincere that Alfred had no other choice but to accept his words.

He wasn't aware he was smiling until he brought the remainder of his cold coffee to his lips.

Once the coffee was gone, he stood up and walked to the nearest trash bin to throw the cup away. He twisted around afterwards and grinned at nothing in particular. He felt fresh; rejuvenated.

Those papers he signed every single day? They were to ensure his people were safe and that they had all the necessary means to keep going! If he could keep them going, then he could keep himself going.

Two people walked past him laughing and giggling to themselves, and Alfred raised his hand to wave at them. They waved back and soon Alfred found himself joining in their conversation and snickering with them.

He would have to thank Ivan one day. Maybe they could get a cup of coffee and watch the leaves fall together.


End file.
